


Pastry Propulsion

by ninjawrites



Series: Gentron: Legendary Friendships 2019 [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Galaxy Garrison, Gen, Gentronweek, Matt and Keith are up to no good, Pre-Kerberos Mission, Shiro is the responsible friend, Young Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-31 11:29:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20114389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninjawrites/pseuds/ninjawrites
Summary: Gentron Prompt Day 2: Childhood FriendsKeith is up to something and Shiro isn't sure what. Little does he know his genius but mischevous roomate may be in on it too.





	Pastry Propulsion

**Author's Note:**

> inspired in part by this [this hilarious comic](https://knittyninja.tumblr.com/post/186503126468/anothertina-i-just-wanted-to-draw-more-keith) by anothertina on tumblr.

“Shiro?”

Shiro perked up from where he was reading his tablet, seated in the Garrison lounge. He turned around to see Keith’s young face peering over the back of the sofa. 

“Yeah?” 

“Do you have a stopwatch?”

Shiro quirked an eyebrow. “Uh, yeah? Why?”

“Can I borrow it?”

The rational half of Shiro’s brain thought maybe he should question why on earth the ten-year old needed a stopwatch, but the other half seemed to weaken with every second he stared into the puppy eyes in front of him. He was only so strong. 

“Sure.” Shiro searched his pockets to find his Garrison standard issue stopwatch and handed it to Keith. “What’s it for?”

Keith just shrugged. “Stuff.” Then he ran out the door, as young kids do.

Shiro sat there for a moment in a daze, before merely shrugging it off, turning back to review the report on his tablet before his next graduate class. Whatever Keith was doing, it was keeping him busy, which was a good thing.

Or so he thought.

Every so often, Keith would come up out of nowhere, asking for the most mundane things, staplers, duck tape, etc. It wasn’t a big deal, but with every time it occurred, the more curious Shiro became.

He also started to notice Keith spent less time with him than he used to. Ordinarily Keith would practically shadow him on his free time, whether it was hanging out while he studied or asking to help work on his hover-bike. However, the last few times Shiro asked, Keith had declined, stating he was busy with something else. It didn’t worry him, Keith seemed happy, maybe even excited when he spoke of it, despite the fact that the kid was hard to read in general. 

Maybe he found new friends? A study group would be good for him, get him used to interacting with a team was a crucial part of his success at the Garrison. He didn’t want to pry though. Whatever it was, Keith would tell him when he was ready.

Though, he still hadn’t gotten his stopwatch back.

It wasn’t until Shiro was sitting in his dorm one evening flipping through his propulsion textbook, that it occurred to him that his roommate was missing as well.

Now, Matt Holt was quite the busy-body for a nerd, always flitting to and fro for various projects or shenanigans, most of which could be described as semi-legal. They were usually harmless, like the time he stuck himself to the wall in the gym in an effort to prove to his professor that the tensile strength of duct tape was a viable alternative for emergency spacecraft repair kits.

Surprisingly, it worked, though a little too well. In fact, Shiro heard that Matt’s father had to rescue him four hours later when he didn’t show up for family dinner.

But Shiro’s instincts told him something was up. Matt and Keith got along fairly well, but Shiro had warned Keith about getting caught up in his roommate’s schemes. 

But if the two of them were working together…

Shiro jumped out of bed and threw on his sweats as fast as humanly possible. After darting out of his dorm room, he searched the gym, the cafeteria, then the simulator deck. When they were nowhere to be found he clambered up the stairs to the only likely place left. 

He reached the roof and hunched over to catch his breath when a familiar voice rambled on from the far side of the roof.

“Alright Keith, Pastry Propulsion Experiment One ready for–oh, hey Shiro!”

He looked up to see Matt waving at him from across the roof. Keith stood nearby, arms crossed and expression focused before he turned to see Shiro.

Shiro straightened with a huff and gave a wave of his own. “Hey guys, uh…what exactly are you up to?” He said as he walked over, attempting nonchalance.

“Oh nothing, just one of the most valuable discoveries in Garrison history.” Matt bounced happily on his heels and nudged Keith with his elbows. “Tell him Keith.”

“We’re testing to see if the cafeteria cake can be used as rocket fuel.” The young boy said with a shrug.

Shiro blinked, brows lifted. “I’m sorry what?”

Matt gestured to the contraption behind them, a tiny makeshift rocket that looked like it was made in an arts and crafts class (oh there was his stop-watch) standing ready for liftoff. 

“I’m telling you, it’s genius! You know the gross ‘pound cake surprise’ they always give us? Well, think how dense and carbohydrate rich it is! With the proper oxidizer, it’s the perfect fuel!”

“And you helped build that?” Shiro asked Keith, who nodded, a serious but proud look on his face. 

Shiro’s gut churned as he worried about the structural stability of the rocket, but the last thing he wanted was to discourage Keith by questioning it verbally. 

“And you’re gonna launch it…” Shiro quirked an eyebrow towards Matt, “…here…on the roof…on Garrison property.”

“Pssh,” Matt scoffed. “I’ve already looped the security cameras up here. Even if they find the rocket remains, they can’t prove anything.” He grinned.

Shiro groaned internally. Well, he thought to himself, at least it’s just cake. It’s not like it could blow up. 

“Fine.” Shiro took a deep breath. “Let’s see it.”

“Yeah!” Both Matt and Keith simultaneously pumped their fist, before turning excitedly towards their rocket. 

“WAIT–” Shiro reached forward, grabbed Keith by the shirt collar and slowly dragged him backwards to the other side of the roof. He then placed Keith behind him so his own body acted like a shield, earning a glare from Keith in response.

Even so, Keith didn’t run back, instead peeking around his torso to watch the rocket. Shiro felt him grip the edge of his sweatshirt in anticipation.

“Alright, Pastry Propulsion Experiment One, commence. Preparing for liftoff in three…two…one—”

There was a low sizzling sound as the rocket stayed motionless on the stand, the three of them waiting expectantly. Shiro clenched his fist and Keith tightening his grip on his sweatshirt. Suddenly the sizzling sound ceased, and Matt’s shoulders sunk in disappointment. 

“Aww man! Must’ve been a bad fuse.” He dropped his arms and went to grab the rocket. “We’ll have to try again. At least we know it’s not the fuel chamb–”

SPLAT!

The rocket exploded on the stand and Matt yelped as his entire front was covered in charred cake remains. 

Shiro and Keith froze, eyes wide in shock, until Matt slowly turned around, wiping the layer of cake from his glasses.

“Pfffft!” Both Shiro and Keith burst out into laughter at the sight. Shiro bent over, slapping his knee as hiccups wracked his chest, while Keith’s knees buckled. He rolled on the floor clutching his stomach as he snorted.

“Yeah yeah, laugh it up…” Matt removed his jacket and wiped the rest of his face. 

As much fun as the two brothers had laughing at their friend’s misfortune, they were suddenly silenced by a shout from the ground below.

“Hey!” Iverson’s familiar shout sent chills down all three of their spines. “What in the SAM HILL WAS THAT NOISE!”

“Uh oh.” Keith mumbled. He and Shiro met eyes for a moment, before Shiro scooped him up over his shoulder and ran back in the building, far away from the scene of the crime. 

All they could hear was Matt’s indignant “HEY!” over their chuckles as Shiro ran holding Keith down the stairs into the hallway. They earned a few strange looks from passing cadets but didn’t stop until they were safely back in Shiro and Matt’s dorm, safe from Iverson’s clutches.

Their laughter faded slightly, though their smiles remained. Shiro plopped Keith down on Matt’s bed and sank down to the floor against his own, leaning his head back in relief. 

“That was so cool!” Keith giggled. “Matt’s face was all like, blehh!” 

Shiro quirked an eyebrow. “What did I tell you about getting involved in Matt’s experiments?” His tone was chiding but soft.

“But…” Keith rolled over and sighed. “It was so fun…and I learned stuff too! Isn’t that important or something?”

Shiro heaved a sigh, once again won over by the innocent face that looked back at him from across the room. “Fine. Next time, just tell me first? It’s always good to come up with contingency plans whenever Matt’s involved. He may be a genius but he doesn’t always think things through.”

Keith gave a sharp nod. “Alright, I will.” 

Shiro slumped back and closed his eyes, his rocket propulsion textbook still laying open on the bed. So much for getting his studying done. He took a deep breath. At least he learned ‘pound cake surprise’ is not an alternative solid fuel.

However, just as he was about to relax, he remembered something and facepalmed.

“Aw man…I forgot to get my stopwatch back…”


End file.
